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2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser |
Back in the
early days of its U.S.-market presence, Toyota
offered crude FJ 40 4WD wagons not unlike the
famous British Land Rovers seen in '60s and '70s
African adventure movies. Now that most SUVs
have grown bigger, plusher, more feature-packed
and more expensive, Toyota will revive the
spirit of those old FJs in the 2007 FJ Cruiser.
This retro rock-climber — which debuted as a
concept two years ago — will slot beneath
Toyota's compact RAV4 and (somewhat curiously)
compete for attention with the company's own
youth-market Scion-brand products. The FJ idea,
according to Toyota Senior VP Don Esmond, is
"youthful, fun-to-drive, aggressive and
tough…true off-road ruggedness, image and
performance at a very low price."
Riding on a modified 4runner chassis, FJ Cruiser
will be powered by a 245-hp 4.0-liter V6 and —
despite its promised low price — will feature
air conditioning, six-speaker CD audio and
Toyota's SUV-specific Star Safety System, which
includes Vehicle Stability Control (VSC),
traction control and ABS brakes. Styling cues
from the original FJ 40 include round headlamps,
upright windshield, wrapped rear corner windows
and a white capped roof.
When: Mid-2006.
Pricing: Positioned
beneath the RAV4, we expect pricing to start in
the high teens. |
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